Val Kilmer passed away at the age of 65, three years after his final film appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, alongside Tom Cruise.

In February 2023, Cruise spoke emotionally about their collaboration in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Cruise explained that seeing Kilmer reprise his role was an intensely charged moment for him, emphasizing that Kilmer is such a great actor that, as soon as he appeared, he effortlessly became Iceman again, as if no time had passed. Cruise was deeply moved by Kilmer’s performance and couldn’t hold back tears, also expressing his admiration for his colleague’s talent and work.

The news of Kilmer’s death was confirmed on Wednesday, April 2, causing deep sadness among fans, friends, and colleagues in Hollywood. His family confirmed that the actor passed away on Tuesday after a battle with pneumonia. Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. Although doctors later gave him the green light, saying he had overcome the disease, the treatments left him with permanent damage to his vocal cords.

Despite the challenges, Kilmer returned to the screen in 2022 for a special appearance in Top Gun: Maverick, once again playing the iconic Iceman – a performance that would ultimately mark the end of his career. The film’s script was inspired by his real-life situation, with Iceman’s character also battling cancer and communicating through a keyboard.

Kilmer’s voice in the film was “revived” with the help of artificial intelligence, thanks to hours of archival material he had provided to the company Sonantic.

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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Maverick & Iceman Scene | Movieclips

In the emotionally charged scene, Iceman advises Maverick to “let the past go and move forward.” Maverick then attends the funeral of his friend. Director Joseph Kosinski revealed that both Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer cried during the filming of this scene. “It was a genuine moment between two old friends,” he said.

Tom Cruise, speaking about Kilmer’s return in an interview, couldn’t hide his emotion: “For him to come back and play this character again… he’s such a strong actor, he immediately became Iceman again. You see Iceman. I cried, I cried. I was very moved. He’s such a brilliant actor. I love his work.”

Kilmer, in a past interview, spoke about his friendship with Tom Cruise off-screen, saying that they continued to communicate and exchanged Christmas gifts.